Dayton picks up campaign contributions from Mayo Clinic leaders

Share this:

Gov. Mark Dayton has been a big supporter of the major expansion plans for Rochester’s Mayo Clinic. And he’s been a frequent patient there, with three procedures in his first term at the health care giant, which was recently ranked No. 1 in the country.

The list of donors to Dayton’s campaign reads like a who’s who in Destination Medical Center leadership. In 2013, Minnesota lawmakers and Dayton approved a $585 million package to support Mayo Clinic’s planned 20-year expansion in Rochester. Dayton was a strong supporter of the project, and his running mate, Tina Smith, is chairwoman of the Destination Medical Center Corp. Board.

The story notes that the Mayo-related contributions make up just a fraction of the governor’s overall re-election fundraising.

A similar one is when a business group gives money to get their candidate voted in right before the Legislature considers legislation that relates to their business interests… It never made sense to me how this can be legal.

Unless all campaign contributions are banned, or unless all campaigns are 100% financed by the state, this is going to be a feature of political campaigns. The best we can hope for is transparency. Knowing who gets money from whom is important for accountability.